The present invention relates to a salvage drum and more particularly to a polyethylene salvage drum for use in containing hazardous materials.
Polyethylene salvage drums for use in containing hazardous materials and in overpacking other drums containing hazardous materials are known in the art. Such drum-type containers must be corrosion resistant, should combine mechanical strength with light weight, and must be sufficiently strong at all points of construction so as to provide a safe container for the hazardous materials without leaking, despite the rough handling such containers must undergo during transportion and handling. For use in the United States, such containers must be approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) which requires that the containers undergo rigorous testing. In particular, DOT testing requires dropping of a container, generally filled with water, from a specified height onto a concrete slab. The angle at which the container is dropped onto the concrete slab is varied. Accordingly, hazardous material salvage drums must be extremely strong and well constructed. In addition, the drum containers should be stackable, both when loaded and when unloaded. Furthermore, convenient means for threading on and off the lid of a threaded container for nuclear or hazardous materials should be provided.
A search of the prior art failed any to uncover any prior art references which disclose the polyethelene salvage drum of the present invention. A number of patents were uncovered which disclose plastic drums and containers used for a variety of purposes. The following is a listing of the patents uncovered during the aforementioned search:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Patentee Issue Year ______________________________________ 3,438,538 Peters 1969 3,529,743 Ehrbar et al 1970 3,942,677 Hagen et al 1976 3,998,355 Galer 1976 4,399,926 Eidels-Dubovay 1983 4,453,647 Neat 1984 4,558,796 Jaicks 1985 ______________________________________